Item attribute preverification

ABSTRACT

A method and system for providing attribute verification ( 330 ) consistent with the invention includes obtaining the attributes ( 320 ) of the item prior to placing the item in a delivery system ( 350 ), verifying correctness of the attributes ( 320 ), and transmitting an indication of the correctness of the attributes to a delivery system operator over a communications system ( 340 ).

RELATED APPLICATION

Under provisions of 35 U.S.C. §119(e), the Applicant claims the benefitof U.S. provisional application No. 60/220,602 filed Jul. 25, 2000,which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of providing item attributeverification. More particularly, the present invention, in variousspecific embodiments, involves methods and systems directed to providinga verification of attributes of an item before the item is placed in adelivery system.

BACKGROUND

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent governmentagency that provides mail delivery and other services to the public. TheUSPS is widely recognized as a safe and reliable means for sending andreceiving mail and other items. With the advent and steady growth ofelectronic mail and electronic commerce, the physical mail stream willincreasingly be utilized for sending and receiving packages. In aneffort to lower operating costs and increase value for their customerbase, many high volume delivery users prepare packages and other itemswith automated equipment and presort and label the items prior toplacement of the items into the delivery system. Delivery users realizea cost savings due to presorting, for example, because many deliverysystem operators provide discounts on presorted items because the amountof sorting necessary by the delivery system operator is reduced.

Therefore, there is a need for the United States Postal Service and manyother organizations to efficiently provide item verification in order toconfirm that items are compatible with the delivery system and toconfirm that the delivery fees for the items are proper. Morespecifically, delivery system operators desire to efficiently provideverification of an item before the item is placed in a delivery system.This is because in an increasingly competitive environment, it isessential for a service provider to reduce costs and exceed theexpectations of those who receive a service.

One solution to the item verification problem is for the delivery systemoperator to receive unconfirmed information relative to a group of itemsplaced in the delivery system and for the delivery system operator torandomly check individual items within the group for compliance with theunconfirmed information. For example, a catalog retail company may wishto have a plurality of catalogs sent to a group of prospectivecustomers. In doing so, the company prepares items by placing aplurality of catalogs into a plurality of packages and places addresslabels, postage and tracking indicia on the items. Sorting the items tosome extent, the company may deliver the items to the delivery systemoperator along with a manifest showing how the company believes theitems were sorted along with the size, weight and postage amount placedon the items (this manifest may not necessarily reflect how the itemswere actually sorted or accurate weight, size, or postage). In thissituation, having no verification of the information combined in themanifest, the delivery system operator must perform some checking of theitems. This checking may comprise a random sampling of the items todetermine some probabilistic certainty of the accuracy of the manifest.

Great inefficiencies are created in this procedure because, for example,the delivery system operator must perform a verification, expendingmoney and human resources. In addition, the sampling is random and thuseach item is not checked for accuracy of attributes or for sortingaccuracy. Accordingly, efficiently providing item attribute verificationremains an elusive goal. Thus, there remains a need for efficientlyproviding item attribute verification in a delivery system. In addition,there remains a need for efficiently providing item attributeverification prior to placing the item in the delivery system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a method for providing item attribute verificationconsistent with the invention includes obtaining the attributes of theitem prior to placing the item in a delivery system, verifyingcorrectness of the attributes, and transmitting an indication of thecorrectness of the attributes to a delivery system operator over acommunications system.

In another aspect, a system for providing item attribute verificationcomprises a component for obtaining the attributes of the item prior toplacing the item in a delivery system, a component for verifyingcorrectness of the attributes, and a component for transmitting anindication of the correctness of the attributes to a delivery systemoperator over a communications system.

Both the foregoing general description and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide a further understanding of theinvention and, together with the detailed description, explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a system for providing itemverification consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a system for providing itemdelivery consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for providing itemverification consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary subroutine used in the exemplarymethod of FIG. 3 for preparing an item with an inserter;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an exemplary subroutine used in the exemplarymethod of FIG. 3 for obtaining attributes of the item;

FIG. 6A is a flow chart of an exemplary subroutine used in the exemplarymethod of FIG. 3 for verifying the correctness of the attributes;

FIG. 6B is a continuation of the flow chart of FIG. 6A which is anexemplary subroutine used in the exemplary method of FIG. 3 forverifying the correctness of the attributes;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an exemplary subroutine used in the exemplarymethod of FIG. 3 for transmitting an indication of the correctness ofthe attributes to the delivery system operator over the communicationssystem; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an exemplary subroutine used in the exemplarymethod of FIG. 3 for placing the item in the delivery system directed tothe recipient.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made to various embodiments consistent with thisinvention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings andwill be obvious from the description of the invention. In the drawings,the same reference numbers represent the same or similar elements in thedifferent drawings whenever possible.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an embodiment consistent with thepresent invention provides an item verification system 100. Within itemverification system 100, for example, an item 110 can be preparedutilizing an inserter 107 under the supervision of a user 105. Inserter107 is an automated device capable of assembling item 110 which maycomprise a mailpiece, a United States Postal Service Priority Mailpackage, or a United States Postal Service Express Mail package. Whileitem 110 may comprise any of the aforementioned, those skilled in theart will appreciate that still many other types of items may beutilized.

In this embodiment, inserter 107 places materials in item 110 that user105 wishes to send to a recipient 255 (FIG. 2). With the materialsplaced in item 110, an address label 215 indicating a first address 250of recipient 255 and a return address 207 indicating where to returnitem 110 if necessary are placed on item 110. In addition, a trackingindicia 220 is placed on item 110 along with a delivery payment coding222. Tracking indicia 220 is utilized by a delivery system operator tofacilitate the delivery of item 110. The use of tracking indicia 220will be discussed in greater detail below. Delivery payment coding 222indicates the payment amount user 105 believes is required by thedelivery system operator to deliver item 110 to recipient 255. Deliverypayment coding 222 may comprise a bar code, an image indicating anaccount from which delivery payment has been made, a postage stamp, orother types of codings as is known by those skilled in the art.

Tracking indicia 220 may comprise a bar code, a PLANET code or othertypes of indicia as is known by those skilled in the art. A bar code isa printed symbol used for recognition by a bar code scanner (reader).Traditional one-dimensional bar codes use the bar's width to encode aproduct or account number. Two-dimensional bar codes, such as PDF417,MAXICODE and DATAMATRIX, are scanned horizontally and vertically andhold considerably more data. Generally, PDF417 is widely used forgeneral purposes, MAXICODE is used for high-speed sorting, andDATAMATRIX is used for marking small parts.

Historically, some delivery system operators sorted flat mail usingPOSTNET, a 12-digit barcode consisting of alternating long and shortbars indicating the destination of, for example, a mailpiece. Respondingto the expanding needs of users, particularly heavy volume users, PLANETcode was developed on the foundation of the existing technicalinfrastructure. The PLANET Code is the opposite of the current POSTNETcodes, reversing long bars for short and short bars for long. Thisinnovation offers the convenience of a bar code that is easily appliedusing current bar-coding methods, and is readily scanned by thehigh-speed automation equipment already located in the plurality ofplants comprising delivery system 230.

After item 110 is built utilizing inserter 107, item 110 is passedthrough a weighing and image capturing system 115 and is then stacked ata staging facility 160. Item 110 is passed through weighing and imagecapturing system 115 to obtain the weight of item 110, to obtain theimage of item 110, and to determine the thickness of item 110 while item110 is moving. In the present embodiment, weighing and image capturingsystem 115 comprises a video camera 120, an in-line scale 125, athickness sensor 130, and a weighing and image capturing server 135.While video camera 120, in-line scale 125, and thickness sensor 130 maybe utilized to obtain the image, weight, and thickness of item 110respectively, those skilled in the art will appreciate that may otherdevices may be utilized to obtain this type of data. With the image,weight, and thickness of item 110 obtained, this data is stored inweighing and image capturing server 135.

From weighing and image capturing server 135, the image, weight, andthickness of item 110 is transmitted to a user server 140 and averification server 145 over a network 165. Network 165 may comprise,for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-widecomputer networks, intranets, and the Internet and are known by thoseskilled in the art. When a LAN is used as network 165, weighing andimage capturing server 135, user server 140, and verification server 145are connected to the network 165 through a network interface located ateach of the respective servers. When a WAN networking environment isutilized as network 165, weighing and image capturing server 135, userserver 140, and verification server 145 each typically include aninternal or external modem (not shown) or other means for establishingcommunications over the WAN, such as the Internet.

Once verification server 145 receives the image, weight, and thicknessof item 110 from weighing and image capturing server 135, this data isanalyzed for correctness. Examples of this analysis, as discussed ingreater detail with respect to FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B below, are adetermination of the correctness of delivery payment coding 222, thereadability of tracking indicia 220, the correctness of tracking indicia220, and a determination of the correctness of how item 110 was sorted.The preceding analysis is exemplary and those skilled in the art willappreciate that many other attributes may be obtained and many otheraspects of item 110 many be analyzed.

In addition to analyzing attributes of item 110, a correlation betweenhow item 110 was actually sorted and master sort data contained in amaster sort data file 170 is determined. Master sort data file 170(FIG. 1) may be sent from user server 140 to verification server 145over network 165 or via physical media and contains data as to how user105 believes item 110 or a plurality of items was or are to be processedand sorted by inserter 107 and stacked in staging area 160. The mastersort data can be used for determining the appropriate amount ofcompensation for user 105 to pay the delivery system operator fordelivering item 110 or a plurality of items. The correlation between howitem 110 was actually sorted and master sort data contained in mastersort data file 170 will be discussed in greater detail below withrespect to FIG. 7.

After a correlation between how item 110 was actually sorted and themaster sort data contained in master sort data file 170 is determined,the correlation data, along with the image, weight, and thickness ofitem 110 are transmitted from verification server 145 to a deliverysystem operator server 155 over a communications system 150. Before thecorrelation data, image, weight and thickness of item 110 aretransmitted, however, this data may be encrypted to insure datasecurity. When encrypting, the data may be converted into a secret codefor transmission over a public network. The original file, or“plaintext,” may be converted into a coded equivalent called“ciphertext” via an encryption algorithm executed on verification server145. The ciphertext is decoded (decrypted) at delivery system operatorserver 155 and turned back into plaintext.

The encryption algorithm executed on verification server 145 may use akey, which is a binary number that is typically from 40 to 128 bits inlength. The greater the number of bits in the key (cipher strength), themore possible key combinations and the longer it would take to break thecode. The data is encrypted, or “locked,” by combining the bits in thekey mathematically with the data bits. At the receiving end, the key isused to “unlock” the code and restore the original data.

There are two main cryptographic methods suitable for use with thepresent system. The traditional method uses a secret key, such as theData Encryption Standard (DES). In DES, both sender and receiver use thesame key to encrypt and decrypt. This is the fastest method, buttransmitting the secret key to the recipient in the first place is notsecure. The second method is public-key cryptography, such as theRivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) highly-secure cryptography method by RSAData Security, Inc., Redwood City, Calif., (www.rsa.com). RSA uses atwo-part concept with both a private and a public key. The private keyis kept by the owner; the public key is published. Each recipient has aprivate key that is kept secret and a public key that is published foreveryone. The sender looks up the recipient's public key and uses it toencrypt the message. The recipient uses the private key to decrypt themessage. Owners never have a need to transmit their private keys toanyone in order to have their messages decrypted, thus the private keysare not in transit and are not vulnerable.

Public key cryptography software marketed under the name Pretty GoodPrivacy (PGP) from Pretty Good Privacy, Inc., (PGP) of San Mateo,Calif., (www.pgp.com) may be utilized in this embodiment. PGP wasdeveloped by Phil Zimmermann, founder of the company, and it is based onthe RSA cryptographic method. A version for personal, non-business useis available on various Internet hosts. While PGP may be used to encryptthe correlation data, image data, weight data and thickness data of item110 before it is sent from verification server 145 to delivery systemoperator server 155, those skilled in the art will appreciate that manyother types of encryption algorithms, methods and schemes may beemployed.

In the present embodiment, preferred methods of the invention utilizeweighing and image capturing server 135, user server 140, verificationserver 145, and delivery system operator server 155, which are typicallypersonal computers or other similar microcomputer-based workstations.Those skilled in the art, however, will appreciate that weighing andimage capturing server 135, user server 140, verification server 145,and delivery system operator server 155 may comprise any type ofcomputer operating environment such as hand-held devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Weighing and imagecapturing server 135, user server 140, verification server 145, anddelivery system operator server 155 may also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices and may have the capability of connecting to a communicationssystem 150.

If the Internet is utilized as communications system 150, thisconnection may be made utilizing e-mail generally through the use of astandard e-mail software package such as OUTLOOK from MicrosoftCorporation or GROUPWISE from Novell, Inc. In this example wherecommunications system 150 is the Internet, user 105, and the deliverysystem operator typically connect user server 140, verification server145, and delivery system operator server 155 respectively to theInternet through an Internet service provider (ISP) (not shown), in themanner known to those skilled in the art. In addition to Internet basede-mail, system operator server 155 may communicate with verificationserver 145 over communications system 150 utilizing regular mail,facsimile, web pages, or an interactive voice response systems. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that many other types ofcommunications systems may be used as communications system 150. Also,network 165 and communications system 150 may comprise the same orsimilar system or structure.

In addition to a wire line communications system 150, or wire linenetwork 165, a wireless communications system 150 or wireless network165 may be utilized. “Wireless” can be defined as radio transmission viathe airwaves, however, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious other communication techniques can be used to provide wirelesstransmission including infrared line of sight, cellular, microwave,satellite, packet radio, and spread spectrum radio. Weighing and imagecapturing server 135, user server 140, verification server 145, anddelivery system operator server 155 in the wireless environment can beany mobile terminal such as a smart phone, personal digital assistant(PDA), intelligent pager, portable computer, hand held computer, or anydevice capable of receiving wireless data. Wireless data may include,but is not limited to, paging, text messaging, e-mail, Internet access,and other specialized data applications specifically excluding voicetransmission. A PDA is a handheld computer that serves as an organizerfor personal information. It generally includes at least a name andaddress database, to-do list and note taker. PDAs are typicallypen-based and use a stylus (“pen”) to tap selections on menus and toenter printed characters. The unit may also include a small on-screenkeyboard which is tapped with the pen. Data may be synchronized betweenthe PDA and a desktop computer through a cable or wirelesstransmissions.

FIG. 2 shows an item delivery system 200 consistent with the presentinvention. For example, user 105 places item 110 or a plurality of itemsinto a delivery system 230 once processing has been completed by itemverification system 100. As built by inserter 107, item 110 containsaddress label 215 indicating first address 250 of recipient 255 andreturn address 207 indicating where to return item 110 if necessary.Item 110 is routed through delivery system 230. Delivery system 230comprises a sender plant 225, a delivery path 235, a first address plant240, an alternative address plant 245, and an alternative processingpoint 265. Delivery path 235 comprises a plurality of plants similar tosender plant 225, first address plant 240 and alternative address plant245. The plants within delivery path 235 contain, among other things,automated systems and sorting equipment and are designed to receive andprocess a plurality of items. Delivery system 230 is configured to sensetracking indicia 220 placed on item 110 as it passes through theelements of delivery system 230 directing the movement of item 110through delivery system 230. The tracking indicia 220 sensed by deliverysystem 230 may comprise a bar code or a PLANET code as described hereinabove.

In the item verification and delivery process, item 110 is sent throughdelivery system 230 by user 105 to first address plant 240. At any timein the delivery process a determination may be made as to whether item110 is undeliverable. If it is determined that item 110 isundeliverable, item 110 may be forwarded to alternative processing point265 where an ancillary service may be performed. Examples of suchancillary services are recycle service (treating item 110 as waste),NIXIE service, and Computerized Forwarding Service (CFS).

With respect to NIXIE service, NIXIE is a classification given to anitem that cannot be sorted or is undeliverable-as-addressed because ofan incorrect, illegible, or insufficient delivery address. If item 110is undeliverable-as-addressed, address correction service (re-label witha correct address) or return service (return item to the sender) may beperformed. In this case, a NIXIE operator specialized in the handling ofsuch items is required. If item 110 requires return service, returnaddress 207 on item 110 is read and item 110 is sent to return address207 accordingly. Return address 207 is an element of item 110 that isusually placed in the upper left corner of item 110 to indicate theaddress of user 105. This address indicates where user 105 wants item110 returned if it is undeliverable. In addition return address 207 mayindicate where user 105 will receive a bill for any fees due for thereturn of item 110. When item 110 requires address correction service, aNIXIE operator obtains the proper address of recipient 255 or the reasonfor non-delivery. While NIXIE processing may comprise address correctionservice or return service, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatmay other types of NIXIE processing may be performed.

Computerized forwarding service is a centralized, computerized addresslabel-generating operation that forwards undeliverable-as-addresseditems to recipients. In this case, recipient 255 pre-registers analternative address 260 with the delivery system operator in order tohave all items forwarded to alternative address 260. For example, whenrecipient 255 moves and wishes to have items sent to alternative address260, recipient 255 notifies the delivery system operator of alternativeaddress 260. Once the delivery system operator is notified ofalternative address 260, all items sent to first address 250 aredetected by delivery system 230, re-labeled, and then forwarded toalternative address 260. In the aforementioned computerized forwardingservice, items are forwarded only for a specific period of time. Thedelivery system operator expects recipient 255 to contact each and everysender who recipient 155 may expect to receive an item and notify thepossible senders of the address change of recipient 255. After thecomputerized forwarding service time period is complete, the deliverysystem operator will cease forwarding items to recipient 255 and willreturn to the user 105 all items sent to first address 250.

If ancillary services were required, item 110 may remain at alternativeprocessing point 265 or may be processed at an item recovery section ofalternative processing point 265. Item 110 may be recovered by user 105or recipient 255 upon the completion of a tracer. A tracer is a formcompleted by user 105 or recipient 255 to locate delayed or undelivereditems. While item recovery may occur at alternative processing point265, those skilled in the art will appreciate that may other types ofprocessing may be performed at alternative processing point 265.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart setting forth the general stages involved in anexemplary method 300 for verifying the attributes of item 110. Theimplementation of the stages of method 300 consistent with the presentinvention will be described in greater detail in FIG. 4 through FIG. 8.Method 300 begins at starting block 305 and proceeds to exemplarysubroutine 310 where item 110 is built with inserter 107. The stages ofsubroutine 310 are shown in FIG. 4 and will be described in greaterdetail below.

From exemplary subroutine 310, method 300 advances to subroutine 320where attributes of item 110 are obtained. The stages of subroutine 320are shown in FIG. 5 and will be described in greater detail below.

Once attributes of item 110 are obtained in subroutine 320, method 300continues to subroutine 330 where the correctness of the attributes isverified. The stages of subroutine 330 are shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6Band will be described in greater detail below.

After correctness of the attributes is verified in subroutine 330,method 300 advances to subroutine 340 where an indication of thecorrectness of the attributes is transmitted to the delivery systemoperator over communications system 150. The stages of subroutine 340are shown in FIG. 7 and will be described in greater detail below.

From subroutine 340, method 300 advances to subroutine 350 where item110 is placed in delivery system 230 directed to recipient 255. Thestages of subroutine 350 are shown in FIG. 8 and will be described ingreater detail below.

Once item 110 is placed in delivery system 230 directed to recipient 255in subroutine 350, method 300 ends at stage 360.

Item Is Built With Inserter

FIG. 4 describes the subroutine 310 from FIG. 3 in which item 110 isbuilt with inserter 107. An inserter is a commercially available deviceutilized in the construction of items such as mailpeices. Such devicesare well known by those skilled in the art. Subroutine 310 begins atstarting block 405 and advances to stage 410 where material is placed initem 110 by inserter 107. For example, user 105 may be a retail companyrelying upon catalog sales. Item 110 may comprise a mailing containing acatalog, order forms, or other materials to facilitate a retail salebetween user 105 and recipient 255.

From stage 410, subroutine 310 advances to stage 415 where labelindicating return address 207 is placed on item 110. Return address 207indicates where user 105 wishes item 110 to returned should it becomenecessary. Once label indicating return address 207 is placed on item110 in stage 415, subroutine 310 continues to stage 420 where labelindicating first address 250 of recipient 255 is placed on item 110. Forexample, first address 250 may be the residence of recipient 255.

After label 250 is placed on item 110 in stage 420, subroutine 310advances to stage 425 where tracking indicia 220 is placed on item 110.As stated previously, tracking indicia 220 may comprise a bar code or aPLANET code.

From stage 425, subroutine 310 advances to stage 430 where deliverypayment coding 222 is placed on item 110. Delivery payment coding 222indicates the payment amount user 105 believes is required by thedelivery system operator to deliver item 110 to recipient 255.

Once delivery payment coding 222 is placed on item 110 in stage 430,subroutine 310 continues to stage 435 and returns to subroutine 320 ofFIG. 3.

Attributes Of Item Are Obtained

FIG. 5 describes the subroutine 320 from FIG. 3 in which attributes ofitem 110 are obtained. Subroutine 320 begins at starting block 505 andadvances to stage 510 where item 110 is placed in weighing and imagecapturing system 115. Item 110 passes through weighing and imagecapturing system 115 to obtain the weight of item 110, to obtain theimage of item 110 and to determine the thickness of item 110. In thepresent embodiment, weighing and image capturing system 115 comprisesvideo camera 120, in-line scale 125, and thickness sensor 130, eachconnected as a peripheral device to weighing and image capturing server135. While video camera 120, in-line scale 125, and thickness sensor 130may be utilized to obtain the image, weight and thickness of item 110respectively, those skilled in the art will appreciate that may otherdevices may be utilized to obtain this type of data.

From stage 510, subroutine 320 advances to stage 515 where weight ofitem 110 is obtained. As stated previously, this may be performed bypassing item 110 over an in-line scale 125, however, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that the weight of item 110 may be obtained byother systems, methods, or means. Once weight of item 110 is obtained instage 515, subroutine 320 continues to stage 520 where image of item 110is obtained. Again, in this embodiment, the image of item 110 may beobtained with video camera 120, however, those skilled in the are willappreciate that there are many other ways to obtain the image of item110.

After image of item 110 is obtained in stage 520, subroutine 320advances to stage 525 where thickness of item 110 is obtained with athickness sensor 130 or other similar device as is know by those skilledin the art. From stage 525 where thickness of item 110 is obtained,subroutine 320 advances to stage 530 where weight, image, and thicknessof item 110 are transferred to verification server 145 over network 165.Network 165 may comprise, for example, a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN). Such networking environments are commonplace inoffices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internetand are known by those skilled in the art.

Once weight, image, and thickness of item 110 is transfer toverification server 145 in stage 530, subroutine 320 continues todecision block 535 where it is determined if last item has beenprocessed. For example, referring to the retail sales catalog example,item 110 may be one of a plurality of similar items such as catalogsbeing processed. If at decision block 535 it is determined that the lastitem has not been processed, subroutine 320 advances to stage 540 wherethe next item is placed in weighing and image capturing system 115.After next item is placed in weighing and image capturing system 115,subroutine 320 advances to stage 515 and repeats the aforementionedstages of subroutine 320.

If at decision block 535, however, it was determined that the last itemhas been processed, subroutine 320 continues to stage 545 and returns tosubroutine 330 of FIG. 3.

Correctness Of Attributes Is Verified

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B describe the subroutine 330 from FIG. 3 in whichcorrectness of attributes is verified. Subroutine 330 begins at startingblock 601 and advances to stage 602 where a classification guidelinedatabase is received by verification server 145. The classificationguideline database contains delivery cost data wherein the cost is basedon, for example, the size, weight, thickness, or level of sorting ofitem 110 as recorded in tacking indicia 220 on item 110. Becauseverification server 145 contains the classification guideline databaseand the attribute data (weight, image, and thickness of item 110), theattribute data can be evaluated and the correctness of attributes can beverified. Verification server 145 may receive the classificationguideline database from the delivery system operator over by thedelivery system operator sending the classification guideline databasefrom the system operator server 155 to the verification server 145 overthe communications system 150.

Once the classification guideline database is received in stage 602,subroutine 330 continues to decision block 605 where it is determined ifdelivery payment coding 222 is correct. This can be determined byreading the payment amount from delivery payment coding 222 as shown inthe image and determining if the amount is correct by referencing theclassification guideline database in light of the weight, size andthickness of item 110. If at decision block 605 it is determined thatdelivery payment coding 222 is correct, subroutine 330 advances to stage620 where an indication is made to a verification file that deliverypayment coding 222 is correct. The verification file records thecorrectness or incorrectness of each attribute checked for item 110 ormore items if a plurality of items are checked. If at decision block605, however, it is determined that delivery payment coding 222 is notcorrect, subroutine 330 advances to stage 610 where an indication ismade to the verification file that deliver payment coding is incorrect.After the indication is made to the verification file that deliverypayment coding 222 is incorrect in stage 610, subroutine 330 advances todecision block 615 where it is determined if inserter 107 should bestopped to correct the problem causing delivery payment coding 222 to beincorrect. For example, user 105 may wish to stop inserter 107 and tryto make a determination as to why delivery payment coding 222 isincorrect. If at decision block 615 it is determined that inserter 107should be stopped to correct the problem, subroutine 330 advances tostage 685 where the inserter problem is fixed. If at decision block 615it is determined, however, that inserter 107 should not be stopped tocorrect the problem, or from stage 620, subroutine 330 advances todecision block 625 where it is determined if tracking indicia 220readable.

If at decision block 625 it is determined that tracking indicia 220 isreadable, subroutine 330 advances to stage 640 where an indication ismade to the verification file that tracking indicia 220 is readable. Indetermining if tracking indicia 220 is readable, the image data of item110 is utilized. From this image, tracking indicia 220 is analyzed forreadability. If at decision block 625, however, it is determined thattracking indicia 220 not readable, subroutine 330 advances to stage 630where an indication is made to the verification file that trackingindicia 220 not readable. After an indication is made to theverification file that tracking indicia 220 is not readable in stage630, subroutine 330 advances to decision block 635 where it isdetermined if inserter 107 should be stopped to correct the problemcausing tracking indicia 220 to not be readable. If at decision block635 it is determined that inserter 107 should be stopped to correct theproblem, subroutine 330 advances to stage 685 (FIG. 6B) where theinserter problem is fixed. If at decision block 635 it is determined,however, that inserter 107 should not be stopped to correct the problem,or from stage 640, subroutine 330 advances to decision block 645 whereit is determined if tracking indicia 220 correct.

If at decision block 645 it is determined that tracking indicia 220 iscorrect, subroutine 330 advances to stage 660 where an indication ismade to the verification file that tracking indicia 220 is correct. Indetermining if tracking indicia 220 is correct, the data contained inthe image of item 110 containing tracking indicia 220 is read andcompared to other data contained in the image of item 110. If atdecision block 645, however, it is determined that tracking indicia 220not correct, subroutine 330 advances to stage 650 where an indication ismade to the verification file that tracking indicia 220 is not correct.After an indication is made to the verification file that trackingindicia 220 is not correct in stage 650, subroutine 330 advances todecision block 655 where it is determined if inserter 107 should bestopped to correct the problem causing tracking indicia 220 to beincorrect. If at decision block 655 it is determined that inserter 107should be stopped to correct the problem, subroutine 330 advances tostage 685 (FIG. 6B) where the inserter problem is fixed. If at decisionblock 655 it is determined, however, that inserter 107 should not bestopped to correct the problem, or from stage 660, subroutine 330advances to decision block 665 (FIG. 6B) where it is determined if sortis correct.

Referring to FIG. 6B, if at decision block 665 it is determined thatsort is correct, subroutine 330 advances to stage 680 where anindication is made to the verification file that sort is correct. Indetermining if sort is correct, the image data of item 110 is utilized.From the image data, tracking indicia 220 is analyzed for sort datacontained in tracking indicia 220. If at decision block 665, however, itis determined that sort is not correct, subroutine 330 advances to stage670 where an indication is made to the verification file that the sortis not correct. After an indication is made to the verification filethat the sort is not correct in stage 670, subroutine 330 advances todecision block 375 where it is determined if inserter 107 should bestopped to correct the problem causing the sort to be incorrect. If atdecision block 675 it is determined that inserter 107 should be stoppedto correct the problem, subroutine 330 advances to stage 685 where theinserter problem is fixed. If at decision block 675 it is determined,however, that inserter 107 should not be stopped to correct the problem,or from stage 680, subroutine 330 advances to decision block 690 whereit is determined if last item has been sorted. For example, referring tothe retail sales catalog example, item 110 may be one of a plurality ofsimilar items such as catalogs being processed. Thus additional itemssimilar to item 110 may also be processed and subsequently analyzed.

If at decision block 690 it is determined that the last item has notbeen processed, subroutine 330 advances to stage 695 where the next itemis evaluated. After next item is next item evaluated in stage 695,subroutine 330 advances to decision block 605, and repeats theaforementioned stages of subroutine 330 for the next item.

If at decision block 690, however, it was determined that the last itemhas been processed, subroutine 330 continues to stage 699 and returns tosubroutine 340 of FIG. 3.

Indication Of The Correctness Of Attributes Is Transmitted

FIG. 7 describes the subroutine 340 from FIG. 3 in which indication ofthe correctness of attributes is transmitted to the delivery systemoperator over communications system 150. Subroutine 340 begins atstarting block 705 and advances to stage 710 where master sort data isreceived in master sort data file 170. Master sort data file 170contains data as to how user 105 believes item 110 or a plurality ofitems was processed and sorted by inserter 107 and stacked in stagingarea 160. Master sort data file 170 containing master sort data may besent from user server 140 to verification server 145 over network 265.

For example, user 105 may be a catalog retailer in the process ofsending items comprising a plurality of catalogs. In an effort to keepthe catalog delivery cost down, user 105 may presort the plurality ofcatalogs and code the level of presorting in tracking indicia 220. Costsavings may be realized due to the fact that the delivery systemoperator may give discounts based on the level of presorting performedby user 105. In presorting, user 105 may collect all catalogs bound forparticular cities and ship the collected catalogs to a representative ofthe delivery system operator at each respective city. To continue thisexample, user 105 may sort the plurality of catalogs even further toinclude bundles of catalogs bound for particular sections of each city.This sorting process may even be carried out to level where the catalogsare sorted in sequence of delivery for predetermined routes ofrepresentatives of the delivery system operator in each city. Thismaster sort data can be used for determining the appropriate amount ofcompensation for user 105 to pay the delivery system operator fordelivering item 110 or a plurality of items.

Regardless of the level of sorting, for example, user 105 has a masterplan for the sorting process prior to the preparing and subsequentsorting of the items. During the process of preparing and sorting,however, the end product may not reflect exactly the preparing andsorting contemplated by user 105 in the master plan. For example, if thecatalogs were sorted to a greater degree than was contemplated by themaster plan, then user 105 would owe less for the delivery than would bereflected in the master plan. Likewise, if the catalogs were sorted to alesser degree than contemplated by the master plan, then user 105 wouldowe more for delivery than is contemplated by the master plan.

From stage 710 where master sort data is received, subroutine 340advances to stage 715 where correlation between how item 110 wasactually sorted and the master sort data is determined. Becauseverification server 145 contains the data on how item 110 was actuallysorted as reflected in the verification file as constructed insubroutine 330, verification server 145 can now use the data from theverification file to check the accuracy of the master sort data frommaster sort data file 170. Through this comparison, user's 105expectation of delivery cost may be adjusted to reflect the actual sort.

Once correlation between how item 110 was actually sorted and mastersort data is determined in stage 715, subroutine 340 continues to stage720 where compliance data and correlation data are stored onverification server 145. After compliance data and correlation data arestored in stage 720, subroutine 340 advances to stage 725 wherecompliance data and correlation data are encrypted to insure datasecurity during transmission over a public network. The original file,or “plaintext,” may be converted into a coded equivalent called“ciphertext” via an encryption algorithm.

From stage 725, subroutine 340 advances to stage 730 where thecompliance data and the correlation data are transmitted to the deliverysystem operator over communications system 150. The ciphertext as codedin stage 725, may be decoded (decrypted) at delivery system operatorserver 155 and turned back into plaintext. Encryption of the compliancedata and the correlation data was discussed in greater detail withrespect to FIG. 1.

Once the compliance data and the correlation data are transmitted todelivery system operator over communications system 150 in stage 730,subroutine 340 continues to stage 735 where the compliance data and thecorrelation data are transmitted to user 105 over communications system150. Communications system 150 may utilize e-mail, regular mail,facsimile, web pages, or an interactive voice response systems and maybe wire line or wireless. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatmany other types of communications systems may be used as communicationssystem 150.

After the compliance data and the correlation data are transmitted touser 105 over communications system 150 in stage 735, subroutine 340advances to stage 740 and returns to subroutine 350 of FIG. 3.

Item Is Placed In Delivery System Directed To Recipient

FIG. 8 describes the subroutine 350 from FIG. 3 in which item 110 isplaced in delivery system 230 directed to recipient 255. Subroutine 350begins at starting block 805 and advances to stage 810 where item 110 isplaced in delivery system 230.

From stage 810, subroutine 350 advances to stage 815 where item 110 isdirected toward first address plant 240. In directing item 110 to firstaddress 250, item 110 is routed from plant to plant within deliverysystem 230 wherein item 110 efficiently converge on first address plant240, which is the plant that serves the delivery address labeled on item110. Throughout this process, delivery system 230 tracks the progress ofitem 110 through delivery system 230. FIG. 1 shows user 105 placing item110 into delivery system 230 at sender plant 225. However, item 110 maybe placed in sender plant 225 or any other plant within delivery system230. Item 110 delivered through delivery system 230 may comprise aletter or any other type mailpiece, however, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that many other types of items may be delivery throughdelivery system 230.

Once item 110 is directed toward first address plant 240 in stage 815,subroutine 350 continues to stage 820 where item 110 is delivered torecipient 255. This is accomplished by transferring item 110 from firstaddress plant 240 to first address 250 by a representative of thedelivery system operator or by recipient 255 otherwise obtaining item110. After item 110 is delivered to recipient 255 in stage 820,subroutine 350 advances to stage 825 and returns to stage 360 of FIG. 3.

In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the presentinvention provides a system and method for verifying the attributes ofan item. Still, it should be understood that the foregoing relates onlyto the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and that numerouschanges may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as defined by the following claims.

1. A method for verifying attributes of an item to be transported by adelivery system operator, comprising: obtaining the attributes of theitem prior to supplying the item to the delivery system operator,wherein the attributes comprise one or more of a weight of the item, athickness of the item, a tracking indicia placed on the item, an addressplaced on the item, and a delivery payment coding placed on the item;verifying correctness of the attributes, wherein the verificationcomprises: determining if the delivery payment coding placed on the itemis correct based on a classification guideline database storing anappropriate delivery payment in view of the weight of the item, a sizeof the item, the thickness of the item, and the tracking indicia placedon the item, and determining a readability of a tracking indicia; andtransmitting an indication of the correctness of the attributes to thedelivery system operator over a communications system.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the obtaining stage further comprises at least one ofthe following: weighing the item, capturing an image of the item, andsensing the thickness of the item.
 3. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising utilizing as the tracking indicia at least one of thefollowing: a bar code and a PLANET code.
 4. The method of claim 1further comprising utilizing as the delivery payment coding at least oneof the following: a bar code, an image indicating an account from whichdelivery payment has been made, and a postage stamp.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising processing the item comprising at least oneof the following: a mailpiece, a United States Postal Service PriorityMail package, and a United States Postal Service Express Mail Package.6. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying stage further comprisesdetermining the correctness of a tracking indicia.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the verifying stage further comprises determining ifthe item was sorted correctly.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thetransmitting stage further comprises encrypting the indication of thecorrectness of the attributes before transmitting it to the deliverysystem operator.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receivingmaster sort data; determining a correlation between how the item wassorted and the master sort data; and transmitting the correlationbetween how the item was sorted and the master sort data to the deliverysystem operator over the communications system.
 10. The method of claim9 further comprising determining if additional payment is due based onthe correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sortdata.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting stage furthercomprises encrypting the correlation between how the item was sorted andthe master sort data before transmitting it to the delivery systemoperator.
 12. The method of claim 9 further comprising transmitting thecorrelation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data toa user over the communications system.
 13. The method of claim 9 furthercomprising encrypting the correlation between how the item was sortedand the master sort data before transmitting it to the user over thecommunications system.
 14. The method of claim 1 further comprisingtransmitting the indication of the correctness of the attributes to auser over the communications system.
 15. The method of claim 14 furthercomprising encrypting the indication of the correctness of theattributes before transmitting it to the user.
 16. The method of claim 1further comprising utilizing in the communications system at least oneof the following: regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, and aninteractive voice response system.
 17. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising preparing the item with an inserter.
 18. The method of claim1 further comprising placing the item in the delivery system directed toa recipient.
 19. A system for verifying attributes of an item to betransported by a delivery system operator, comprising: a component forobtaining the attributes of the item prior to supplying the item to thedelivery system operator, wherein the attributes comprise one or more ofa weight of the item, a thickness of the item, a tracking indicia placedon the item, an address placed on the item, and a delivery paymentcoding placed on the item; a component for verifying correctness of theattributes, wherein the verification comprises: determining if thedelivery payment coding placed on the item is correct based on aclassification guideline database storing an appropriate deliverypayment in view of the weight of the item, a size of the item, thethickness of the item, and the tracking indicia placed on the item, anddetermining a readability of a tracking indicia; and a component fortransmitting an indication of the correctness of the attributes to thedelivery system operator over a communications system.
 20. The system ofclaim 19, wherein the component for obtaining further comprises at leastone of the following: a component for weighing the item, a component forcapturing an image of the item, and a component for sensing thethickness of the item.
 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the trackingindicia comprises at least one of the following: a bar code and a PLANETcode.
 22. The system of claim 19, wherein the delivery payment codingcomprises at least one of the following: a bar code, an image indicatingan account from which delivery payment has been made, and a postagestamp.
 23. The system of claim 19, wherein the item comprises at leastone of the following: a mailpiece, a United States Postal ServicePriority Mail package, and a United States Postal Service Express MailPackage.
 24. The system of claim 19, wherein the component for verifyingfurther comprises a component for determining the correctness of atracking indicia.
 25. The system of claim 19, wherein the component forverifying further comprises a component for determining if the item wassorted correctly.
 26. The system of claim 19, wherein the component fortransmitting further comprises a component for encrypting the indicationof the correctness of the attributes before transmitting it to thedelivery system operator.
 27. The system of claim 19 further comprising:a component for receiving master sort data; a component for determininga correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data;and a component for transmitting the correlation between how the itemwas sorted and the master sort data to the delivery system operator overthe communications system.
 28. The system of claim 27 further comprisinga component for determining if additional payment is due based on thecorrelation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data.29. The system of claim 27, wherein the component for transmittingfurther comprises a component for encrypting the correlation between howthe item was sorted and the master sort data before sending it to thedelivery system operator.
 30. The system of claim 27 further comprisinga component for transmitting the correlation between how the item wassorted and the master sort data to a user over the communicationssystem.
 31. The system of claim 27 further comprising a component forencrypting the correlation between how the item was sorted and themaster sort data before sending it to the user over the communicationssystem.
 32. The system of claim 19 further comprising a component fortransmitting the indication of the correctness of the attributes to auser over the communications system.
 33. The system of claim 32 furthercomprising a component for encrypting the indication of the correctnessof the attributes before transmitting it to the user.
 34. The system ofclaim 19 further comprising a component for utilizing in thecommunications system at least one of the following: regular mail,e-mail, facsimile, internet, and an interactive voice response system.35. The system of claim 19 further comprising a component for preparingthe item with an inserter.
 36. The system of claim 19 further comprisinga component for placing the item in the delivery system directed to arecipient.
 37. A method for verifying attributes of an item, comprising:preparing the item with an inserter; obtaining the attributes of theitem prior to placing the item in a delivery system by at least one ofweighing the item, capturing an image of the item, and sensing thethickness of the item, the attributes comprising at least one of aweight of the item, a thickness of the item, a tracking indicia placedon the item, an address placed on the item, and a delivery paymentcoding placed on the item; the tracking indicia comprising at least oneof the following: a bar code and a PLANET code, and the delivery paymentcoding comprising at least one of the following: a bar code, an imageindicating an account from which delivery payment has been made, and apostage stamp; verifying correctness of the attributes, comprising:determining if the delivery payment coding placed on the item is correctby utilizing a classification guideline database indicating anappropriate delivery payment in view of the weight of the item, the sizeof the item, the thickness of the item, and the tracking indicia,determining a readability of the tracking indicia, determining thecorrectness of the tracking indicia, and determining if the item wassorted correctly; encrypting an indication of the correctness of theattributes; transmitting the indication of the correctness of theattributes to a delivery system operator and a user over acommunications system, the communications system comprising at least oneof the following: regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, and aninteractive voice response system; receiving master sort data;determining a correlation between how the item was sorted and the mastersort data; encrypting the correlation between how the item was sortedand the master sort data; transmitting the correlation between how theitem was sorted and the master sort data to the delivery system operatorand the user over the communications system; determining if additionalpayment is due based on the correlation between how the item was sortedand the master sort data; and placing the item in the delivery systemdirected to a recipient.